The Potential Murder of Maryam Faraji, One of the Detainees from December Protests

Maryam Faraji, a civil activist who was arrested during the unrest in December of last year, went missing eight days ago after leaving her home, and there has been no news of her since. Now, after more than a week of her disappearance, her lawyer is suggesting the possibility of her murder, but emphasizes that no accusations are directed at legal authorities. Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a lawyer representing Maryam Faraji, raised the possibility of her murder in a series of tweets on Thursday, July 21. In response to speculation from some media outlets that 'it is possible that security and intelligence agents have kidnapped her,' Aghasi stressed on Twitter: 'Given the reaction to the news regarding the possibility of Ms. Faraji's murder, I must clarify that any potential murder is absolutely not the responsibility of the authorities and legal bodies.' He has reiterated in several tweets that 'the finger of blame does not point to legal authorities,' but has not provided further explanation regarding the basis of his assurance. Maryam Faraji, 33 years old, a master's student in international management and the financial manager of a company in Shahriar, Tehran Province, was arrested on January 12 during the December unrest on charges of 'gathering and colluding' and was interrogated for ten days in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Her first trial was held on April 8, 2018, in a branch of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh, which sentenced her to three years of imprisonment and a two-year travel ban. In May 2018, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi took over the legal representation of Maryam Faraji. According to this lawyer, Maryam Faraji, who was released on bail, left her house last Thursday, and there has been no trace of her since. Aghasi noted that Maryam's mobile phone is also turned off, and her family has visited all relevant organizations, 'but there is no trace of her.' According to the latest reports, Maryam Faraji's lawyer submitted an appeal against her sentence to the court on Saturday, and before her disappearance, she was awaiting a date for her appeal hearing. During the December protests in Iran, which lasted about a week and included strong slogans against the leaders and domestic and regional policies of the Islamic Republic, over 3,700 people were arrested, and the deaths of at least 22 individuals have been confirmed.